The Structure of Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors for Common Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders in Men and Women

Abstract

The underlying structure of the genetic and environmental risk factors for the common psychiatric and drug abuse disorders in men and women is very similar. Genetic risk factors predispose to 2 broad groups of internalizing and externalizing disorders. Within the internalizing disorders, 2 genetic factors are seen that predispose to disorders dominated by anxious-misery and fear. Substance use disorders have disorder-specific genetic risks. The externalizing disorders of conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior are significantly influenced by the shared environment. The pattern of lifetime comorbidity of common psychiatric and substance use disorders results largely from the effects of genetic risk factors.

Personality Disorders and the 3-Year Course of Alcohol, Drug, and Nicotine Use Disorders

“…These results are also consistent with studies suggesting that substance use disorders and antisocial personality disorder form part of a unidimensional domain of psychopathology often referred to as the externalizing domain 74, 75 . While the externalizing domain is usually conceptualized in terms of risk for the disorders (i.e., as different manifestations of a single underlying condition explaining comorbidity risk), our results suggest that this framework could be broadened to include examination of persistence as well.…”

Antisocial behavioral syndromes and DSM-IV drug use disorders in the United States: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions

“…Combined with findings from previous studies (e.g., Kendler et al, 2003;Krueger et al, 2002Krueger et al, , 2005 indicating robust relationships between antisocial behavior problems and DUDs, our findings re-emphasize the need for continued attention to expanding the range of effective, culturally appropriate prevention and intervention approaches targeting both antisocial syndromes and DUDs, as well as their co-occurrences, in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Several prevention curricula have demonstrated effectiveness against CD, substance use, or both, among children and adolescents (e.g., Bierman et al, 2002;Botvin and Kantor, 2000;Brotman et al, 2005;Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group, 2002;Farmer et al, 2002;Hawkins et al, 1999;).…”

“…ASPD and AABS were also considerably more prevalent, though "CD only" was not, among the present subsample of NESARC respondents with lifetime DUDs (with or without comorbid AUDs) than among the subsample of respondents with AUDs (with or without comorbid DUDs; Goldstein et al, in press). The higher prevalence of ASPD and AABS among individuals selected for DUDs than among those selected for AUDs is compatible with findings of greater severity of DUDs relative to AUDs along the spectrum of externalizing conditions that includes substance dependence as well as antisocial syndromes (Compton et al, 2005;Kendler et al, 2003;Kirisci et al, 2002;Krueger et al, 2005;Markon and Krueger, 2005).…”

Past 12-month and lifetime comorbidity and poly-drug use of ecstasy users among young adults in the United States: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions

“…The strong connections between ecstasy and multiple other drug usage could suggest that the presence of ecstasy use in an individual may be a marker for a more severe subtype of drug user; thus, the presence of ecstasy use might be useful for phenotype definition, especially as studies have begun to define phenotypes based on the presence of multiple drug dependencies (Agrawal et al, 2005;Kendler et al, 2003). It is well established that there is inter-individual variation in the propensity for adverse effects due to ecstasy, and a number of polymorphisms affecting metabolism of ecstasy have been implicated including CYP2D6 and other CYP isoenzymes (Carmo et al, 2006;De la Torre et al, 2005;Lynch and Price, 2007;Yang et al, 2006).…”